• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1511-1517
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• 2011

We isolated a potent phenanthrene-degrading bacterium from oil-contaminated soils of Suzhou, China, and assessed the potential use of these bacteria for bioremediation of soils contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a microcosm. Based on 16S rDNA sequencing, we identified this bacteria as Sphigobacterium sp. SW-09. By PCR amplification, we also identified catechol 2,3-dioxygenase genes (nahH genes) mediating PAH degradation. Staphylococcus sp. KW-07, which has been identified in our previous study, showed potential for use in bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils. In this experiment, we compared the rate of phenanthrene-degradation between Staphylococcus sp. KW-07 and Sphingobacterium sp. SW-09 in a microcosm condition. Newly isolated Sphingobacterium sp. SW-09 showed a higher phenanthrene-degradation rate than that of Staphylococcus sp. KW-07 in soil microcosms. Together, our results suggest that the Sphingobacterim sp. SW-09 strain isolated from the Suzhou area may also be useful in bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.84.1-84.1
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• 2012

One of the most intriguing questions regarding black hole (BH)-galaxy co-evolution picture is how the BH accretion, or active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity is linked to star formation (SF) activity. While it is suggested that AGN luminosity of quasars correlates with SF luminosity, it is still unclear how AGN activity is connected to SF activity based on host galaxy properties. Utilizing AKARI's unique slit-less spectroscopic capability and wavelength coverage, we probed star formation activity of several types of AGNs by measuring the PAH 3.3 ${\mu}m$ emission. First, we detected the PAH 3.3 ${\mu}m$ emission from seven out of 27 Seyfert type-1 galaxies at z~0.36. While these galaxies deviate significantly from the local Mbh-${\sigma}$ relation meaning their black holes proceed the host galaxies in terms of evolution, they appear to follow the correlation between nuclear SF and AGN activities of local Seyfert type-1 galaxies. This implies that SF and AGN activities are directly connected at the nuclear region for these Seyfert type-1 AGNs. We also obtained 2-5 ${\mu}m$ spectra for subsamples of Quasar Spectroscopic Observation in Near-infrared Grism (QSONG) which consists of reverberation-mapped AGNs and PG-QSOs. We detected the PAH 3.3 ${\mu}m$ emission from 16 out of 31 reverberation-mapped AGNs and 10 out of 49 PG-QSOs and measured their line strengths. We present the correlations between SF and AGN activities and discuss if there is any dependency of the correlations on properties of host galaxies, such as morphology, or the presence of radio jets.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2004

Determination of some PAHs in sediments at Ulsan bay has been carried out by extraction of the components into n-hexane followed by synchronous spectrofluorimetric technique. 11 PAHs, such as acenaphthene (Ace), anthracene (Anth), benz(a)anthracene (BaA), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbFt), benzo(k)fluoranthene (BkFt) benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), chrysene (Chry), phenanthrene (Phen), fluoranthene(Ft), perlyrene (Per), and pyrene (Pyr) in sediment samples were able to determine separately by synchronous spectrofluorimetry. Calibration curves for those components were linear for the concentration range of 0.15~166 ppb PAHs with the correlation factor of 0.9985~0.9999. The total amount of PAHs in sediments varied from 68.8 to 324.4 ng/g. The PAHs concentration was shown a tendency to increase from the outer bay to the inner basin as well the predominant contributors to the aromatic ring groups of the PAHs was 4-ring group.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.947-956
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• 2018

Trains have been a major means of transport in Korea during these past decades. However, train facilities such as stations and repair shops are contaminated with organic and inorganic substances. There is a high probability of train facility contamination with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This study evaluated the PAH and heavy metal contamination of soil near railroads in the Kyungpook area. A total of 18 soil samples were collected from the railroads and analyzed for 16 PAHs and 6 heavy metal species. The contamination level of the top soil was found to be slightly higher than that of the subsoil for contamination with PAHs. The ratio of carcinogenic PAH concentration to the total PAH concentration was relatively high, with a maximum of 0.9. The toxicity equivalent (TEQ) of the PAHs were 500.6 ng/kg in the topsoil and 355.5 ng/kg in the subsoil. The ratio of low molecular PAHs (LPAHs) to high molecular PAHs (LPAHs) ranged from 6.7 to 29.5; this shows that contamination is primarily due to combustion of fuel rather than due to petroleum. The ratio of phenanthrene to anthracene and the ratio of fluoranthene to pyrene also show that contamination occurred due to combustion for transportation. The heavy metal contamination level was lower than the Korean standard, but higher than the background concentration; this indicates that the soil was affected by the operation of the railways.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.999-1010
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• 2021

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the environment. They are highly toxigenic and carcinogenic. Probiotic bacteria isolated from fermented foods were tested to check their ability to degrade and/or detoxify PAHs. Five probiotic bacteria with distinct morphologies were isolated from a mixture of 26 fermented foods co-cultured with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) containing Bushnell Haas minimal broth. Among them, B. velezensis (PMC10) significantly reduced the abundance of BaP in the broth. PMC10 completely degraded BaP presented at a lower concentration in broth culture. B. velezensis also showed a clear zone of degradation on a BaP-coated Bushnell Haas agar plate. Gene expression profiling showed significant increases of PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases and 4-hydroxybenzoate 3-monooxygenase genes in B. velezensis in response to BaP treatment. In addtion, both live and heat-killed B. velezensis removed BaP and naphthalene (Nap) from phosphate buffer solution. Live B. velezensis did not show any cytotoxicity to macrophage or human dermal fibroblast cells. Live-cell and cell-free supernatant of B. velezensis showed potential anti-inflammatory effects. Cell-free supernatant and extract of B. velezensis also showed free radical scavenging effects. These results highlight the prospective ability of B. velezensis to biodegrade and remove toxic PAHs from the human body and suggest that the biodegradation of BaP might be regulated by ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase-initiated metabolic pathway.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

Objectives We aimed to compare the bone age (BA) estimation by a deep learning-based program and by a specialist in pediatrics of Korean medicine using the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) technique for the cases of children who visited a Korean medicine hospital for growth, and to report the effect of Korean medicine treatment. Methods For three children who visited the Korean medicine hospital for growth, BA estimation by the deep learning program and by the specialist in pediatrics of Korean medicine using the TW3 technique was compared, and the time required for estimation was investigated. The change of height, BA, and predicted adult height (PAH) using deep learning program after Korean medicine treatment was observed. Results BA estimation of the left hand bone X-ray by the specialist using the TW3 technique showed a difference of -0.03 to +0.15 years from the estimation by the deep learning program. The mean estimation time was 5 minutes and 49 seconds per one for the specialist and 48 seconds for the deep learning program. During the treatment period, the height percentile and PAH estimated by deep learning program were increased after Korean medicine treatment compared to baseline while acceleration of BA was suppressed compared to chronological age. Conclusions BA estimation using the deep learning program and the TW3 technique showed a difference of less than 0.15 years, and in three cases of patients with growth as the chief complaint, Korean medicine treatment increased height percentile and PAH without accelerating BA maturation.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.976-984
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• 2019

Objective: To establish diagnostic criteria for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in children by using parameters obtained through noninvasive cardiac computed tomography (CCT). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively measured parameters from CCT images of children from a single institution in a multiple stepwise process. A total of 208 children with mean age of 10.5 years (range: 4 days-18.9 years) were assessed. The variables were classified into three groups: the great arteries; the ventricular walls; and the bilateral ventricular cavities. The relationship between the parameters obtained from the CCT images and mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) was tested and adjusted by the children's body size. Reference curves for the pulmonary trunk diameter (PTD) and ratio of diameter of pulmonary trunk to ascending aorta (rPTAo) of children with CCT images of normal hearts, adjusted for height, were plotted. Threshold lines were established on the reference curves. Results: PTD and rPTAo on the CCT images were significantly positively correlated with mPAP (r > 0.85, p < 0.01). Height was the body size parameter most correlated with PTD (r = 0.91, p < 0.01) and rPTAo (r = -0.69, p < 0.01). On the basis of the threshold lines on the reference curves, PTD and rPTAo both showed 88.9% sensitivity for PAH diagnosis, with negative predictive values of 93.3% and 92.9%, respectively. Conclusion: PTD and rPTAo measured from CCT images were significantly correlated with mPAP in children. Reference curves and the formula of PTD and rPTAo adjusted for height could be practical for diagnosing PAH in children.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.257-266
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• 2008

PAHs are of mainly anthropogenic origin from urban runoff, oil spill and combustion of fossil fuels. Some PAHs are potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic to aquatic organisms. This study was carried out to survey the contamination of PAHs in the column sediments around Gwangyang bay. Yeosu petrochemical industrial complex, POSCO(Pohang steel compony) and Gwangyang container harbor are located near the bay. The column sediments were collected at 4 stations(A, B, C and D) and fractionated at intervals of two-centimeter depth on July 29, 1999. PAHs in colmn sediment samples were extracted in soxhlet extractor and were identified and quantified by GC-MS. PAHs compounds were analyzed and found to be 13 species. Total PAHs concentrations in the column sediments ranged from 275.04 to 2,838.64${\mu}g/kg$ dry wt. Naphthalene had the highest concentration in the range of 40.60 to 2,294.06${\mu}g/kg$ dry wt. and Anthracene had the lowest concentration in the range of 2.63 to 11.30${\mu}g/kg$ dry wt. The correlation coefficients between individual PAHs and total PAHs in the column sediments were relatively higher in the low molecular compounds such as Naphthalene, Acenaphthylene and Phenanthrene. The relationship between the P/A(Phenanthrene/Anthracene)ratio and F/P(Fluoranthene/Pyrene)ratio showed that P/A ratio was generally above 10 and F/P ratio was above 1 in all sediment samples. These data indicate that PAHs in the column sediments around Gwangyang bay seem to be of both pyrolytic and petrogenic origin The values of PAHs in the column sediments were lower than the biological effect guidelines.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.13-21
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• 2006

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread soil contaminants and major environmental concerns. PAHs have extremely low water solubility and are strongly sorbed to soil. A potential technology for remediation of PAHcontaminated soils is a soil washing with surfactant solutions. While the use of surfactants significantly enhances the performance of soil remediation, operation costs are increased. Selective adsorption of PAHs by activated carbons is proposed to reuse the surfactants in the soil-washing process. The adsorption isotherms of pure chemicals (Triton X-100 and phenanthrene) onto three granular activated carbons were obtained. The selective adsorption of phenanthrene in mixed solution was examined at various concentrations of phenanthrene and Triton X-100. The selectivity results were discussed with pore size distribution of activated carbons and molecular sizes of phenanthrene and the Triton X-100 monomer. The selectivity for phenanthrene was much larger than 1 regardless of the particle size of activated carbons. The selective adsorption using activated carbons with proper pore size distribution would greatly reduce the material cost for the soil washing process by the reuse of the surfactants.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.111-119
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• 2020

In vascular smooth muscle, K⁺ channels, such as voltage-gated K⁺ channels (Kv), inward-rectifier K⁺ channels (Kir), and big-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (BK_Ca), establish a hyperpolarized membrane potential and counterbalance the depolarizing vasoactive stimuli. Additionally, Kir mediates endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization and the active hyperemia response in various vessels, including the coronary artery. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) induces right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), thereby elevating the risk of ischemia and right heart failure. Here, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we compared Kv and Kir current densities (I_Kv and I_Kir) in the left (LCSMCs), right (RCSMCs), and septal branches of coronary smooth muscle cells (SCSMCs) from control and monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rats exhibiting RVH. In control rats, (1) I_Kv was larger in RCSMCs than that in SCSMCs and LCSMCs, (2) I_Kv inactivation occurred at more negative voltages in SCSMCs than those in RCSMCs and LCSMCs, (3) I_Kir was smaller in SCSMCs than that in RCSMCs and LCSMCs, and (4) I_BKCa did not differ between branches. Moreover, in PAH rats, I_Kir and I_Kv decreased in SCSMCs, but not in RCSMCs or LCSMCs, and I_BKCa did not change in any of the branches. These results demonstrated that SCSMC-specific decreases in I_Kv and I_Kir occur in an MCT-induced PAH model, thereby offering insights into the potential pathophysiological implications of coronary blood flow regulation in right heart disease. Furthermore, the relatively smaller I_Kir in SCSMCs suggested a less effective vasodilatory response in the septal region to the moderate increase in extracellular K⁺ concentration under increased activity of the myocardium.